


In An Instant

by MeredithBrody



Series: Roleplay Stories [7]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-10 13:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1160458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erika Hernandez goes drinking after breaking up with Jonathan and meets her future science officer, Samantha Owens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In An Instant

**Author's Note:**

  * For [startrekslut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekslut/gifts).



> This is written for my friend Britt, Sam is her OC. We were laughing about this idea on Skype and she asked me to write this.

Four drinks earlier, Erika Hernandez had wanted nothing more than to be alone. She hadn’t wanted to do anything other than drink and mope. But that had been four drinks ago. Now she wanted to talk.

The person she usually spoke to wasn’t going to answer her calls though. He had too much to do, and they were over. Not long over, but over. They’d made a pledge to stay friends, but nothing worked out that way. So instead, she poured another shot from the bottle of bourbon she had beside her and shook her head.

“Fucking Jonathan Archer.” She mumbled to her glass, downing the fifth shot in one then looking around. It seemed like her miniscule outburst had attracted the attention of someone nearby. Erika looked at the woman, another one who was obviously Starfleet, though probably a good half decade younger than Erika. “Damn him and damn that ship.” She mumbled again. This time looking straight at the other officer. After another shot, a little more courage, she looked over the bar. “What’ve you got against it?”

“I was supposed to be on her. Science officer.” The woman mumbled, then staggered over and climbed on the stool besides Erika, almost falling off as she did. Erika topped both their glasses up and then motioned to the bartender. A second bottle was most certainly going to be needed. “Lieutenant Sam Owens. Starfleet.”

“Commander Erika Hernandez, _Republic_.” Erika awkwardly shook her hand then sighed into her glass. “What stopped you being on _Enterprise_?” Even drunk, there was one instinct that was never dulled, and that was the instinct to sense a good story. Sam’s reasons for being annoyed about _Enterprise_ seemed like they could be far more important than Erika’s.

Sam, it seemed, wasn’t sure to talk about it at first. So Erika poured her another drink. At the rate they were going, neither would remember in the morning anyway. Maybe she’d feel better getting it out of her system now. Maybe they both would. So she handed Sam the glass, and watched the lieutenant take a deep breath. “My current CO and I had a… disagreement. I proved there could be exosolar planets with life and ecosystems. He disagreed. I broke a few regulations to prove him wrong and poof, now I’m suspended.”

“That… really blows.” Erika mumbled, not entirely sure what else she could add. She knew that breaking regulations was sometimes the only way to get things done. She was of a year in Starfleet where she looked on the ‘regulations’ more as guidelines than rules.

“What’s your problem?” Sam asked after they’d both had a couple more shots and lapsed into quite a companionable silence. Erika had already made her mind up, she liked this scientist. She didn’t really care what regulations she’d broken.

How to answer that question. There were probably dozens of ways she could say it, but none of them came to her, no good ones at least. Everything sounded vaguely cliche and that was hard for her to stomach. She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk much about it either. “My last partner is the Captain.”

“Recent?” Sam asked, and at first all Erika could do was nod. The pain of the last year threatening to overwhelm her. Losing the baby, then Jon’s promotion. Was it any real surprise she found herself in a bar, getting drunk with someone she’d only just met and thinking back over her decisions. She already regretted them. But she’d come here to forget them.

“We broke up so he could take the ship. After years together.” Erika looked up so as to not let her tears fall again. She’d cried enough over it. She poured another shot and drank it down. Wondering if she was reaching that rare point of drinking herself sober. “I told him to do it, too. That’s the bit I hate the most.” She complained about herself, and knew that really it was all she could have done. Anything else would have been selfish.

“Well, fuck. We both need this.” Sam laughed and took the second bottle off the bartender, pouring them both a very generous measure of the amber liquid the bottle contained. It hadn’t always been Erika’s drink of choice, but over the last decade she’d not only gotten used to it, it had become her preference.

“I like you, lieutenant. You get me.” She tipped another measure down her throat, and chased it very quickly with another. She had no idea why she felt the urge to keep drinking, but she wasn’t going to stop, not yet anyway.

“What’s not to get?” Sam asked after a few minutes of silent reflection.

That was a good question. Erika didn’t think she was all that complicated a person. She’d managed to work with pilots for a decade without killing any of them. That must count for something. She shook herself out of her mental rumination, refocusing on Sam again. “You know, if I get my own ship. I’m hiring you. I already have my XO picked out, but you can be my science officer.”

The Lieutenant’s jaw dropped, and it took Erika a second to realise what she’d said herself, but she wasn’t going to turn away from it. “Really?” Sam asked, and all Erika could do was nod, while thinking of something serious to say.

“You’ve got balls. Well. Less balls more ovaries. Actually you may have balls. You have organs of steel and I like it.” Erika grinned and poured one final glass, she knew if she didn’t go home now she would probably wake up somewhere in the morning and be late getting back to the _Republic_. “Sam. I’ll look you up in the directory tomorrow. When I get a ship, you’re mine.” That was a promise Erika was going to keep. She didn’t like letting good people go.

“Good night Commander. I’ll speak to you again.” Erika smiled and clapped her on the back as she stood up, motioning to the three-quarter empty bottle of bourbon as she did. There was no point letting good alcohol go to waste.

“Finish that off, Lieutenant. Then get to bed. That’s an order.” Her smirk returned as she stepped out onto the street. She had gotten everything she wanted out of tonight, and maybe a little more. But right now she just wanted to go get into her bed and remind herself that drunk calling Jonathan was a very bad idea. She’d probably do it anyway.


End file.
